Bio

Jillian Owens is a writer, designer, and eco-fashion revolutionary. A Columbia SC transplant, she graduated from the University of South Carolina with a BFA in Theatre and English. When she’s not gallivanting about, she’s busy at her day job as a Digital Marketing Strategist at Riggs Partners. Jillian has been featured on Good Morning America, Buzzfeed, The Associated Press, Bored Panda, My Modern Met, Daily Mail, Cosmopolitan (French), Elle (French), The Gloss, The Rachael Ray Show, Good Afternoon America, ABC Columbia, Jasper Magazine, Skirt, Columbia Metropolitan, The Free Times, Grist, andNYC’s Guest of a Guest.

I also found your blog through Pinterest, and I am telling all of my friends about it. It is amazing what you have done with rejected clothing. You have inspired me to see many things differently. I even see my husbands old clothes differently. I can’t wait to try and make some of the things you have featured in your blog. It will save me a lot of money. Thanks Refashionesta!!!!!!

This will apply to short cap sleeves and sleeveless tops or dresses but a huge problem nonetheless for gals with small arms but bigger than average girls: I have looked at quite a few of your ideas and am so very impressed that you can see what’s possible out of would I would give away. I have sewn both tailored and home dec but you have put my skills to shame. I also noticed you have small arms which is something I often have problems with especially in read-to-wear and the all to familiar armhole “gape” which shows whatever color bra you happen to wear should you choose to (and as you get older must). This is especially true in a sleeveless. The bodice is always set too low. My only fix was to take it up in the shoulders but I still run into problems like recently with one that had a front and a back shoulder yoke. Any suggestions? I can fix a pattern but alterations drive me mad.

Loved seeing you on GAA today! My niece does the same thing you do! She takes her friend’s clothes and refashions them. I sent her your blog and the GAA clip. I hope she finds you inspiring. You two would really hit it off! You go, Girls!

I didn’t realize you were a Carolina girl, too! I love your blog. Found it on Pinterest and have shared it with all my crafty girlfriends. :) Love it even more now that I know we’re practically neighbors!

Not even sure how I came upon your blog but so glad I did! You’re amazing! Since I discovered it 2 days ago, I’ve been snipping and stitching my way thru my closet of things destined for Goodwill and many items have been given new life. As we speak, there’s a dress being dyed that I hope to wear to an event Saturday night. Thank you for your amazing creativity and humor..also, I just love some of the faces you make in the “before” pictures! You’re so adorable!

Love your work Refashionista! Such a great way to make the most of old clothes. Waste not!! Would love if you checked out http://refashioned12.blogspot.com.au/ Spreading the importance of shopping smart, giving your old clothes to charity stores or upcycling like you! Thanks again!

I LOVE your blog. I read every new post religiously. I love how it’s not just about the clothes, that you share a lot in your blog posts. Your achievements and even the crappy things that happen along the way. Love it all, keep up the great work!

I love everything about you! I have spent the last hour perusing your blog. Your posts are entertaining and fun. Your pix truly show your personality, too. When you write “whirrrr” on the sewing pix, it makes me laugh – every time! Please don’t stop posting!

I discovered your blog and my family got ignored for a solid Saturday afternoon. Couldn’t stop looking at it. Ran out to Goodwill found a dress and whipped it into a shirt. Awesome! Can’t wait to do some more. Ready to change up my mom uniform! Nice work.

I check in at least once a month to see all of your fabulous refashions. I found you on Pinterest about a year ago and love what you are doing! I especially love when you turn skirts into dresses as I have been doing that since I was in high school (mostly because I am so short and long skirts drag on the floor)!

Wow, I spent my entire Saturday evening going through all your blog entries and outfit remakes and had so much fun! Today I was at the Goodwill store with a very open mind. What fun I had. I was able to look past colour, size and length…what a new experience for me! I now have two dresses ready to be made into tops, and a skirt and top ready to be dyed to the colour of my choice. Who knew! Thanks for the inspiration and the savings on my new/old clothes.

I just adore your refashions. You are talented and very creative. I am a preschool teacher and lately it has been my goal to help my preschoolers see beyond what is in front of them to what something could be. I have been inspired by you to incorporate that idea into my life as well. Now I just need to learn to sew… Thank you!

Thanks for the fast response and for sharing that. Not everyone like to tell their size. I understand how crazy sizing is. I’m 5’8″ish and I wear from a 4 to a 12 and skis for shoes-9.5 to 10. :-)

I buy most of my clothes from our local Goodwill and sometimes it’s even harder to figure out sizing. Things have been washed and shrunk or worn and stretched. I try not to get too caught up on what size things are. I just love the thrill of the hunt.

I’ve spent the last 4 days reading your year of refashioning. You are truly a marvel. Even though I’m really impressed by what you do, I’m smitten with your attitude and joy and the way you handle life’s curve balls. Count me in as one of your groupies!

I love your blog! Thanks so much for sharing all of your creations! Your work is so inspiring and makes me want to be braver with my sewing (like I can move on up from making pyjama pants to making something cool!)

Love your blog and can’t wait to see what else you come up with :) I’ve been sewing for 15 years and am long accustomed to making my own clothes (as well as my daughter’s), but even that can get expensive :P I think I’m going to find a thrift store in this stupid military town and see what I can come up with as far as alterations. Maybe I can start saving some money! XD Thanks for being an inspiration for us all, from beginners to more advanced sewers, I’m sure we can all draw some inspiration from your before and after pictures. My Nana taught me a long time ago, don’t picture it the way it is, picture it with the fabric you want and the things you could change (in reference to sewing patterns, of course). Can’t wait to see more from you!!!!

I found your site on Pinterest & i LOVE all the re-fashions you have done! I am new at sewing and i must say i’m going to be trying a LOT of your ideas ….& by the way i know you have heard this a time or 2 but you resemble Gabrielle Solis (Eva Longoria) off of Desperate Housewives! i :)

I just started following you thanks to a recommendation by onegoodthingbyjillee.com. I was cruising around looking at old postings, feeling inspired to take my pile of “I can fix this” thrift store finds over to my sewing machine (Thank you) when I discovered you are a South Carolina girl! I live in the upstate also. Suddenly the world seemed a bit smaller. I thought you were in NYC or some other super classy trendy city. You amaze me! Thank you for getting me inspired again.

My girlfriend directed me to your blog; I’m in Ottawa (Canada), and I’ve been making or modifying clothes to fit my shape for the last 10 years. Mind you I’m a 5’8″ chinese lady who LOVES primary colors; so it’s even harder to find clothes that aren’t pastels or florals, and/or don’t clash with my skin tone, lol. Love your remakes on the dresses; they’ve inspired me to review the dresses that I was going to donate to Value Village (thrift store in Canada), and see if I can’t breathe new life into them. Loved the polka dot dress remake!

I LOVE your blog!!! it is so crazy what you do with some of your pieces! I just bought a couple of my first pieces to refashion and the whole time i was shopping i just kept saying “what would Jillian pick?” so excited to see what i come up with!

You are so very inspiring! I am a recent high school graduate who is thinking about majoring in Theatre too (with a backup plan of course). Plus, believe it or not, I’ve always wanted to learn to sew. I remember my grandmother trying to teach me and me completely screwing it up. Soo…I haven’t touched the amazing sewing machine of death in some years but you’ve given me reason to try it again. It’s just so fantastic how you’re not only being fashionable but also, you’re making a difference in the environment, helping the less fortunate, AND teaching others they can do the same! You’re awesome!…and I don’t that to just any blogger. Haha but seriously, please keep up your awesomeness!

Helloup! Refashionista girl, I’m from Guatemala in Centro América, soooorry if my english isn’t be correct, I have grammatical problems! I just wanna tell you: girl you are ammazing, I admire you and wish you God bless you and bless your work! Your new friend in Guatemala Monica

I LOVE your blog! I am 27 and from the suburbs of Chicago where having STYLE is a necessity! You have insprired me to not only learn how to sew (with a hand me down machine from my mom), but to be more adventerous with fashion! Hello leather jacket and red flower dress refash i.e Katy Perry. I died over that piece! My New Years Resolution was to wear everything in my closet at least once, in a new way, before purchasing something new. Thanks to you and your inspiration I’ve found myself going back to the “donate” pile looking for ways to re-fash again and again!…and I have to share, scored a pair of Tory Burch flats during my first trip to Goodwill. Can’t beat that!Keep the posts coming girl, you rock!
Your friend in fashion-Jessica

Found your blog through Pinterest and such an inspiration! I love that you then donate your refashioned pieces. I plan on refashioning a few items in my closest, and once I finishe those, I’ll be heading to my local Goodwill Clearance to find some other items to tackle!

You have inspired me! I am short and have a short torso and have a hard time finding dresses and tops that fit me well. I used to sew all the time when I was younger, but I haven’t sewn in awhile and no longer have a sewing machine. What sewing machines do you recommend (brands and models). Thanks!

Jillian, you are motivation to all us thrift store lovers who can sew worth a lick! Your blog makes me want to learn to sew so terribly. I am lucky to have mom who alters all of my things but I would love to pick up interesting things I find and re-fashion them like you do. Keep writing, beautiful! You are inspiring many!

I am having so much fun clicking through your work. I have a barely used sewing machine that is going to get quite the work out this winter! Since having my second child, my body is a totally different shape (and changing by the day!) so it’s hard to find clothes that fit and look good. Your blog has given me new hope that I don’t have to rely on clothing companies to make clothes that look good on me, I can make them myself! Thanks so much for what you do.

I just stumbled upon your blog and I am so glad that I did! I love everything about it! You have deeply inspired me. Your lovable, easygoing, and caring personality has made me a fan :D (I don’t say that to just anybody!) I even refashioned some of my clothes the same day I found your blog! Thank you and keep doing what you do!

so cool … i just read about you in the book Overdressed by Elizabeth Cline. She talked about a designer in Columbia who made a ballgown from men’s dress shirts and I thought: “I swear I saw that in a runway show in Columbia!” And then I realized, yep! And I think you were in one of my Shakespeare classes at USC:) I know a celebrity!

This is awesome, I love what you are doing as well as the philosophy behind it. I, too, found you via Pinterest. I teach at a university with a lot of fashion students, design students, I will share your blog in class this week for them. Perhaps it will give me a margin of coolness for the day. :)

I love love LOVE your blog.
Seriously.
And I don’t really follow any blogs…that is, until now.
My boyfriend and I are constantly going to yard sales during our free time, and we usually score some pretty awesome pieces of whatever for low prices. I can be pretty obsessive when getting a good deal, and this is yet another fun activity I can do to fuel that obsessive desire!
Your blog has inspired me to try refashioning…but first, I must learn the basics of sewing…
Thanks for existing!

Jillian, you’re going to turn me into a hoarder! I see projects everywhere now. I just love watching your transformations. My mother was a seamstress who sewed clothes for me and my siblings, not that we appreciated it at the time. You’ve inspired me to dust off my mom’s old machine and dare to try. The lovely thing about re-fashions is that I don’t feel any pressure because I have such good examples and the cost of mistakes is so low! Thank you for inspiring me!

Hi, Jillian, I found your blog a couple of years ago and have had a blast seeing all the work you do. This year, I finally decided to attempt it myself. :) I’ve done small things before, but it’s go big or go home now! My first project is making a Halloween costume for my daughter out of a bridesmaid dress. Should be fun!

I used to dabble in refashioning, many years ago in my teens, then again 5 yrs ago after my daughter was born. But I lost my sewjo, dumped crap over my machine and sewing table and just stopped. I found you through Pinterest this week and I’ve spent hours going through your posts over the last few days, even sharing some with my 8 yr old son. We both think you are rather awesome at this gig. And now I have my sewjo back! Off to the local thrift store tomorrow! Calloo callay! Thank you.

I found your blog through pinterest and have been hooked! I started reading it from the beginning, and even my 3 year old daughter looks over my shoulder every once in awhile and says “ooh, pretty!!” You have such a huge heart, and your ideas about keeping clothing/trash out of the landfills and repurposing everyday items that one would normally toss because they are stained or out of date are fabulous and note-worthy. My favorite thing to do is scour thrift store racks for that unique shirt or dress, but I have zero skill with a sewing machine and am terrified to start so i’ve always played it safe and picked up stellar finds that fit me already. If it doesn’t fit me, it stays on the rack, and i’ve left the thrift stores many a time disappointed and saying ‘what if?’. Now you’ve given me a whole new outlook on not only what I can turn something INTO…but who I can turn myself into. Your journey has been inspiring and I am looking forward to reading more posts in the future!! Keep up the great work and continue having fun being yourself!

You are amazing! You’ve inspired and motivated me to continue fulfilling what I love to do. I have never sewed my whole life. And my husband bought me a sewing a few months ago…I tried sewing a circle skirt a few months ago just by looking at tutorials. Since then I have never put my sewing machine to rest. It is so much fun. I love thrift shopping too. As a matter of fact, all my clothes are from thrifting. I enjoy refashioning clothes and your blog has inspired me to do more. Thank you!

Like everyone else, found you on Pinterest and am now totally addicted! I guess I shouldn’t have been so shocked to see the article about you on dailymail.co.uk!!!! Peeps all over the world luv ya! Keep doing what you do and know that you are inspiring so many. I only wish there was a $1/lb Goodwill near me!

So I can’t remember now which of my friends linked me to your blog but I’m so glad I stumbled upon it. I’m an intermediate sewer myself and have been shopping at thrift stores and fixing clothes all my life, but never quite like you. You’ve inspired me to take a look at my closet and refashion things instead of getting rid of them. Also I just read your entire archive in the past week and its so great to see how much you’ve improved and the more daring refashions you do with years of practice. Youre awesome

I found your blog through pinterst and have now been inspired to pull my sewing machine out of the cupboard and dust it off……….. there is a local thrift store near my house that sells all clothing for $1 and some of them are hideous but with the right amount of inspiration and TLC they could be turned into something fabulous!!!!!

You are my inspiration! I had a sad and lonely closet of clothes and now I can wear something refreshed and refashioned every day! Everyone at my local thrift store knows me by name and gives me a frequent shopper discount! Keep on making people happy and inspired!!

Hiya Jillian hope your wellies are coping with the rain and you don’t need a boat ; )

I live in UK it rains much here and local roads are prone to flooding.
Gorgeous fun to look forward and see what you’ve been whirring and chopping, and when there’s no emails I check out some of the other days.

I would love to know how you do the behind the scenes techy stuff, like the photos, are these done with a camera or phone? What are you doing with all the upmodalled clothes you say you don’t keep them?

Do you have a forum where we can show/discuss/request suggestions for sewing projects? – I have bought 2 bargain size 8 dresses for £1 each because I liked the prints I’m a size 18! Now I wonder what to turn them into…

Hi! I’m from Russia.I’ve been Watching your tape. I admire you and your clothing alterations! I often alter the old into something new, but sorry I did not photograph it. Your ideas really inspire me to new deeds! I wish you success in everything! Sorry for my English ( Google translator).